Longview leaders describe homelessness services, point to lower point-in-time count and partner bed capacity

Mayor Isiahara and council members on Feb. 13 outlined the city’s ongoing work with nonprofit partners and specialized staff to serve people experiencing homelessness, and they highlighted a recent Homeless Resource Day that served an estimated 425 attendees.

Mayor Isiahara summarized recent program metrics and partnerships, saying the point-in-time count the task force started in February 2017 measured 480 unhoused individuals then and that the 2024 count showed 197. He said the city is still awaiting the 2025 count. The mayor described multiple city-coordinated efforts, including two post officers who in 2024 made 1,104 contacts with unhoused people, issued 41 citations for sleeping or camping, and helped place 95 individuals into housing or other placements.

The mayor described the Greater Longview Optimal Wellness (GLOW) initiative, a collaborative program started in 2020 funded by grants and involving about 50 service providers and 15 partner agencies. ‘‘GLOW has served to date over a hundred residents using 50 service providers in 15 different partner agencies,’’ the mayor said, and he noted the program has received state and national recognition.

Council members and staff also described nonprofit partner capacity. The record shows that House of Disciples, Highway 80, Salvation Army, House of Hope and the Women’s Center of East Texas together provide more than 400 beds in the community, the mayor said. Council recognized the seventh annual Homeless Resource Day on Jan. 26 that served roughly 425 attendees and offered 80 haircuts, 30 pet checkups and six homeless identification documents; volunteers brewed more than 60 pots of coffee before 10:30 a.m., according to a council summary of the event.

Council and staff said the city will highlight partner agencies in upcoming communications and convene partners to solicit feedback on how the city can better support front-line providers. Officials emphasized that bed availability exists among partners but acknowledged the role of mental health and substance use in complicating service engagement.

Council also recognized Officer Chris Birdsong, who will retire after decades with the Longview Police Department and who the council said helped over 150 people enter substance abuse treatment through outreach work.

No formal votes were taken on homelessness policy at the meeting; councilmembers said they will continue coordinating with nonprofit partners and pursue additional engagement to identify improvements.